Webbing support



Filed April 5, 1930 Izvenion gr 0 WW1 Patented July 19, 1932 UNF'TESIMON L. WARREN, 0F QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS wnniiuc surronr Applicationfiled April 5,

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices employed tosupport, or retain in position, the spring supporting webbing usuallyemployed in upholstered furniture, devices of this character beingdisclosed in the patents to Krause, No. 1,678,474, dated JulyQer, 1928and No. 1,700,939 dated Feb ruary 5th, 1929 and in my Patent No. 1,737,- 815, dated December 3,1929.

While the several types of devices disclosed in said prior patentssatisfactorily perform their intended function, they are all primarilyadapted for use in new construction, or when the seat bottom has beenentirely removed, so that they may be applied from the top side of theframe, as itis at least very difficult, if not practically impossible,to apply these devices when working from the bottom side of the frame,for the reason that they must be secured to the frame above the webbingand must be applied after the webbing has been tightly stretched andsecured to the frame, and the spaces between the edges of theadjacentstrips of webbing are usually too narrow to permit the use of atool therebetween in attaching these devices to the frame. Moreover, itis difficult, or practically impossible to apply the U-form, or stirruptype of these devices in the corner of the frame where corner blocks,and certain types of leg construction are employed. Also, none of thesedevices can be employed where a single fabric sheet is employed over theentire bottom of the frame, in lieu of the separate strips.

The objects of my invention are to provide a form of support which maybe readily tap: plied, either to separate strips, or complete fabricsheets, from the bottom side of the frame, so that it may be effectivelyemployed in repair work, as well as in new construction, and theapplication of which will not be interfered with by corner blocks andleg constructions, and which may be applied at a low labor cost and maybe manufactured at a cost which will not substantially increase theexpense incident to the use of such devices,

I accomplish these objects by providing a strap device, or plate ofrigid metal which is adapted to be secured to the frame beneath the1930. Serial No. 442,016".

spring supporting fabric in position to draw the fabric about the innerlower edge of the frame, from'the point where it is attached to theunder side thereof, and upwardly against the inner side of the frame,said device being provided with a supporting face which engages theunder side of the fabric, as it eX- tends from said inner side, and isconnected to the frame by fasteners which extend outwardly through saiddevice beneath said face and into the frame from its inner side and,preferably, also by fasteners which extend upwardly through said deviceinto the frame fromits under side. 1

For a more complete disclosure of the invention, reference is made tothe following specification, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which I Fig. 1 is a sectional view, at line- 1-1 of Fig. 2,of a portion of an upholstery frame provided with a preferred embodimentof the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the frame.

Fig.3 is a detail perspectiveviewof a supporting device, which Ipreferably employ.

Fig. 4: is an elevation, partly broken away, of a somewhat modified formof the invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 4:.

In the drawing a indicates an ordinarywood upholstery frame, to thenormally under side of which a series of webbing strips 1) are attachedin the usual manner, by tacks 0, which are driven through each endportion of each strip and upwardly into the frame, the webbing beingtightly stretched crosswise of the frame in the usual manner and havingthe usual spiral seat-supporting springs d mounted thereon. In practicethe strips are preferably doubled back to form end portions Z), whichare of suiiicientlength to eXtendfor a short distance within the frame,the tacks c then being driven through a doubled portion of the strip.

A preferable embodiment of my present invention comprises a flat plate aof stiff sheet metal which is of a length approximating to the width ofthe webbing strips 6, and is of and then will extend right a widthapproximating to, or slightly less than the thickness of the material ofwhich the frame is formed, said plate being provided with several tackholes f, which may be variously arranged, and preferably having onelongitudinal edge portion provided with a series of notches g, for apurpose to be explained.

The opposite longitudinal edge-portion of the plate is bent nearly rightangularly to form a flange h, the extreme edge portion of which is bentreversely to form a rounded, or rolled edge 2', the several bends beingcurved to avoid sharp angles and the flange portion it being providedwithseveral nail holes 7' close to said rolled edge, which will be ar;

ranged in such positions with relation to the holes f that nails ortacks driven through these holes into the frame will not encounter eachother.

When applying the above described plate 6 to an upholstery frame towhich the webbing strips have been attached and stretched tightly acrossthe same, as indicated, the frame will usually, for convenience, be heldin an inverted position. In applying the plate, the rolled edge portion2' will be pressed against the under side of the strip close to theinner edge of the frame, and usually against the doubled back endportion 6 of thestrip, to prevent wearing or cutting action on the stripportion which receives the strain in use. The plate is then pressedagainst the strip until the flat portion thereof bears firmly on thestrip portion which is directly on the frame, or on the heads of thetacks c which secure it thereto, thereby causing the adjacent stripportion to be drawn about the lower inner edge of the frame and againstthe adjacent portion of its inner side, and, while held in thisposition, nails are driven outwardly of the frame through each hole 7',through the strip and into the frame from its inner side, and tacks, ornails m are driven upwardly of the frame through holes f, through thestrip, and into the frame from its under side. The nails 7c are drivensomewhat upwardly, as they are driven outwardly, so that they extendobliquely to the inner side of the frame, and thus extend divergentlywith relation to its under side, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, toavoid danger of splitting the wood of the frame, not only when the nailis driven, but when it is later subjected to the downward pressure towhich it will be subjected by the webbing strips. In practice, nails ofuniform diameter are employed for this purpose in preference to tacks,as they are more likely to be retained by the wood, in case it shrinks.

As a result each strip to which a plate 6 is applied, will be drawnupward about the inner lower corner of the frame, so that it will beheld against the inner side thereof, angularly over the rounded face ofthe rolled edge 2', so that all the strain on the tacks 0, which attachthe strips to the frame before the plate is secured in position, will beapplied at right angles thereto, while the downward force on the stripsapplied by the springs d, will be almost wholly resisted by the nails70, to which this force is applied transversely and nearlyperpendicularly. The action of the nails k, in resisting this force,will also be somewhat supplemented by that of the tacks m, the heads ofwhich engage the under side of the plate. The net result is that thewebbing will be supported as securely and in practically the same manneras with the prior devices, the difference being in the means by Whichthis result is effected. It will be noted that the nails, tacks or otherform of fastener, which secure the plate 6 in position. pass thru thestrip and thus act directly as an additional attaching means therefor,while the plate, by being supported in engagement with the heads of thetacks 0, will act to hold these tacks in position, in case the woodshould shrink so that they became loosened therein.

In practice, it is considered preferable to secure all the webbingstrips at both ends while tightly stretched, before the plates e areapplied, so that, when said plates are applied the strips will befurther tightened.

The notches 9 formed in the outer edge portion of the plate e permit theusual cover 0 for the under side of the upholstery, to be attached bytacks, as n, which may be driven through the notches 9 into the frame insufiiciently close proximity to enclose the space tightly.

While the action on a single strip of webbing has been described inconnection with a support or strap device which extends for only thewidth of the strip, and while this arrangement is preferable, it will beapparent that the device will have the same action when employed inconnection with a single textile web, or sheet which extends over theentire bottom of the frame, in which case the supporting devices willeither be applied in sections, or will be made in lengths suflicient toextend the entire length of the different sides of the frame.

It will also be apparent that the supporting device may be made toextend continuously from one strip to the next, as indicated by thestrap h in Fig. 4, and that the plate part which extends beneath theframe may be entirely omitted, as indicated in Fig. 5, in which case thenails k which pass obliquely thru the strap and outward and upward inthe frame, will be wholly relied on to support the webbing.

The above described webbing supporting device may also be advantageouslyemployed where the webbing cannot be secured to the bottom side of theframe, but must, of necessity, be secured to its inner side close to itsbottom by tacks which are driven thru the webbing into the frame fromits inner side, as indicated in one of the modifications shown in mysaid prior Patent No. 1,737,815. Under crosswise of the frame from itsunder side and having fasteners securing the same thereto, a strap ofrigid material arranged to engage the under side of the webbing withinthe frame and to hold the same against the inner side of the frameadjacent the lower inner edge thereof, said strap having a top face withwhich the webbing is engaged as it extends inward from said inner sideand fasteners engaged with the strap and extending obliquely outwardlyand upwardly thru the strap and webbing and into the frame from itsinner side.

2. In an upholstery construction of the character described, a frame, awebbing stretched crosswise of the frame and secured to its under side,a rigid plate disposed on the under side of the webbing directly beneaththe frame and having a flange at its inner edge extending upward withinthe frame in proximity to its inner side and engaged with the under sideof the webbing in position to support the same above the inner loweredge of the frame and fasteners engaged with said flange and extendinginto said frame at its inner side.

3. In an upholstery construction of the character described, a framehaving a webbing stretched crosswise thereof and secured to its underside, a rigid plate disposed flatwise on the under side of the webbingdirectly beneath the frame and having an upturned flange arranged toengage the under side of the webbing within the frame and adjacent itsinner side and to support the webbing above the bottom side of theframe, and fasteners extending upwardly through the plate into the frameand outwardly thru said flange into the frame from its inner side.

4. I11 an upholstery construction of the character described, a framehaving a webbing stretched crosswise thereof and secured to its underside, a rigid plate disposed flatwise on the under side of the webbingdirect- 1y beneath the frame and having a flange formed rigidlytherewith and extending upwardly therefrom thruout the length of itsinner portion, said flange having its edge in proximity to the innerside thereof, and fasteners engaged with said flange and extending thruthe webbing into the frame from its inner side;

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' SIMON L. WARREN.

rolled reversely tov provide a curved face arranged to engage the underside of the webbing and to support it within the frame

